Brent Bartel has been in the Tarrant County Jail since December, with bail set at $500,000.

A Richland Hills man who admitted carving a pentagram into his 6-year-old son’s back in December has been indicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Brent Troy Bartel, 39, could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of the charges, said Melody McDonald, a spokeswoman for the Tarrant County district attorney’s office.

A trial date has yet to be set, but Bartel will have a routine court hearing on Wednesday.

Police say he used a box cutter to carve the image onto his son’s back Dec. 12 and then smeared the boy’s blood around the front doorway of the family’s home on Ruth Road.

Bartel then called police to report the incident and told a 911 dispatcher that he “shed some innocent blood,” according to his indictment. His reasoning was that it was a holy day, the indictment said. His wife ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911.

There’s no word on how the child is doing now, but police Sgt. Nathan Stringer said at the time that the cuts were not deep.

Arlington police have announced a 24-hour “live chat” system that they’re billing as the first of its kind in Texas.

The system allows residents to contact authorities when they need help from police but don’t need to see an officer in person.

Look for this widget on the right-hand side of the page.

“Former Police Chief Theron Bowman started this system in December of 2011, and we have been testing it for a year,” said Sgt. Christopher Cook, a police spokesman. “He wanted to give people the option to speak with police officers in the privacy of their own home.”

The department hopes to save money and increase efficiency in situations where police are usually called to the scene. The system will cost $120 a month to operate, compared with sending an officer to every call which can cost more than $100 per visit.

Residents can log on to www.arlingtonpd.org and click “Start Chat” to speak with police.

The system has been on APD’s website this entire time for testing purposes but has not been promoted until now. According to police, it proved in the search for a wanted fugitive and when sizing up damage from last spring’s tornados.

The suspect has been identified as 18-year-old Nardeza Daniels of Fort Worth.

Original entry:

A teenage drunken driving suspect was arrested this morning after crashing into a family’s home, narrowly avoiding two children.

The children were fast asleep at 3 a.m. when a van smashed into their bedroom at a home in the 6700 block Westbrook Avenue, police said.

Neither boy was harmed, according to Fort Worth police.

After officers arrived, the 18-year-old suspect walked up and claimed ownership of the white van. He also admitted fleeing the scene initially.

The suspect, who was not identified, told police a carjacker tried to steal the van a couple of blocks down the road. He said he escaped but was still shaken up and, as a result, lost control of the van.

It’s unclear whether investigators are looking for a carjacker, but they did arrest the teen on charges of public intoxication and leaving the scene.

An immigrant family from South Africa is picking up the pieces after an SUV crashed into their home this morning. (Photos by Haley Thayer/Staff

Updated at 8:50 a.m.:

Investigators believe this morning’s shooting and crash were triggered by an attempted carjacking.

Police say the victim, a 28-year-old Odessa man, and a friend were sitting in a Cadillac Escalade when the gunman approached them on the driver’s side.

The robber showed his handgun and told the two in the car to get out. The 28-year-old feared for his life and tried to flee, according to the police report.

Police remained at the scene hours after the shooting at the Santa Fe Trails apartments.

As he drove away, the gunmen fired several shots. One bullet hit the driver’s neck and went through his right jaw.

The driver ran into two cars once he was hit, pushing one into the side of an apartment building. He then reversed out of the complex and crossed Ridgecrest Road where he collided into Jolisette Bamanga’s apartment.

The suspect fled on foot and is still at large.

Updated at 8 a.m.:

One of the families whose homes were damaged in this morning’s crash was asleep when the Escalade slammed into their living room.

Nineteen-year-old Jolisette Bamanga said she’s not sure how they’re going to recover because her parents have no renter’s insurance.

“The police told us that the driver’s car insurance cannot pay for the damage,” Bamanga said. “Although he is a victim from a gunshot, we are victims too.

“He has to pay for this damage.”

Bamanga lives with her parents and 9-year-old nephew. They moved to the U.S. from South Africa three years ago.

“If there is anyone out here who can help us pay, please let us know,” she said. “We cannot pay for this.”

Fort Worth police have identified the driver arrested in this morning’s dramatic chase down I-35W.

Jessica Roseman is being held on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Fort Worth police say officers chased her into Johnson County on the right side of the freeway, with emergency lights flashing and public address system blaring, “all to no avail.”

Finally a stop stick flattened one of her front tires and she crashed into an unoccupied police cruiser parked on the highway as a roadblock.

Original entry posted at 8:37 a.m.:

A drunken driving suspect speeding the wrong-way with her lights off caused two crashes this morning on Interstate 35W in Fort Worth before crashing herself in Burleson, sending one person to the hospital with minor injuries.

The chase began about 3 a.m. when Fort Worth police responded to multiple reports that a brown Ford Taurus was southbound in a northbound lane of the South Freeway.

The woman driving reached speeds of 90 mph and did not have her headlights on, according to NBC 5.

In the first crash, a white passenger car veered out of the Taurus’ way to avoid a head-on collision and hit a retaining wall at Rosedale Street. One person in that car was taken to the hospital suffering from a bloody nose and complaining of chest pains.

Next, the Taurus side-swiped a blue Chevy Suburban near East Berry Street. No one was injured in that crash.

Fort Worth police patrolled from a helicopter and contacted Burleson police, who put down spikes on the freeway to flatten the vehicle’s tires. The chase ended there when the woman hit a parked police car that was there to stop the vehicle.

The suspect was not injured but was taken to the hospital to have blood drawn, police said. Her name has not been released yet.

At 10 last night, the investigative team was brought in to examine the area. Police were acting on a tip from a prisoner, who told authorities of a body in a nearby creek.

Residents told KXAS-Channel 5 they saw officers with police dogs searching the area Sunday night, just before sundown. According to the story, “Residents also said they saw a man dressed in jail overalls and shackles talking with several detectives on scene.”

Police say this morning that the search is been ongoing, and that because of the rough terrain, the investigation may take a while. Some construction equipment has been brought into help clear the area, according to KDFW-Channel 4.

Adrian Collins was at the Chevron across from Fair Park last night when two unknown suspects pulled up next to his car and opened fire, sending the 28-year-old to the hospital.

Their motive remains unclear, but according to Dallas police Collins was sitting in his 2003 Chevrolet Malibu when the suspects pulled up in a Chevrolet TrailBlazer. At that point, say police, the suspects fired at least eight rounds into Collins’ car.

He sustained injuries to his left leg and face and was taken to Baylor Hospital, according to the police report. Hospital officials say he was discharged this morning.

Dallas police say no arrests have been made, and information about the suspects has not been released.